Government
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With Facebook, Antitrust Officials Advertise Astonishing Ignorance
“If Facebook is to remain dominant and relevant, readers can rest assured that it will remain on top precisely because Instagram will eventually be yesterday’s news within Facebook; the photo and video-sharing juggernaut of the moment eclipsed by business lines or apps that market participants are presently dismissive of, undervaluing, or both.” ~ John Tamny
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What Would Lincoln Do?
“Salmon P. Chase, the greatest civil rights lawyer of that day, in particular, campaigned for Lincoln’s re-election. Then, on the day the Senate reconvened, Lincoln sent over a one-sentence message nominating Chase, who was then confirmed without debate, on a voice vote.” ~ Clifford F. Thies
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Woke Financial Crisis Part Deux
“Ideologues can claim that mathematics is merely a human construct but there really is a real world out there. It has bitten us in the keister before and appears poised to do so again, just for ignoring it. Maybe we should all wake up.” ~ Robert E. Wright
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Why is the United States Trying to Shut Down Huawei?
“Really, where did conservatives and/or Republicans ever get the idea that we’re improved the more that our politicians weaken our competitors? And since national security is regularly bruited as the excuse for nascent protectionism, where did they ever get the idea that the latter would make us safer in a foreign policy sense?” ~ John…
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The Constitutional Reckoning of State Lockdown Orders
“There is no doubt that the governors across the country have gone off the constitutional deep end in response to Covid-19, exercising powers that are not only unprecedented but unproven. These cases, notably in Michigan and Wisconsin, all share some important legal themes that may suggest the beginning of a constitutional reckoning for governors across…
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End this Recession Now!
“The remedy for this self-imposed economic harakiri, this desperate and destructive attempt at self-harm that is governments’ pandemic response, is exactly that: end it. Abolish. Abandon. Cease and desist. Have governments get out of the way and individuals make choices of their own, choices adjusted to their own risks and risk tolerance – not a…
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Voters’ Incentives and Terrible Public Policy
“In about a month, Americans will elect a new President and a new Congress. In our ideal world, they would do so by very carefully weighing the costs and benefits of different policies and choosing the combinations that they reasonably believe to be in everyone’s best interests. In the world we inhabit, though, they will…
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A Curveball Isn’t an Existential Threat
“Too many people over the past six months have taken leave of their senses. We, our children, and our grandchildren will long live with the consequences of this foolish panic – consequences that almost surely will inflict on humanity harms far worse than any that Covid could possibly have ever inflicted.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux
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Goodbye Grounded, My Favorite Coffee Bar Destroyed by Lockdowns
“Multiply my story by the hundreds of thousands of patrons of their favorite store, bar, restaurant or coffee shop all over the City — and the hardworking owners of these establishments who poured their souls, lives, and savings into them — and you have a partial measure of the human cost, not just of Covid,…
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The Compulsory Masking of New York City
“If these officials had our best interests in mind, instead of treating us like children or animals upon whom arbitrary punishment is inflicted in order to obtain obedience, they would contemplate the real problem and narrowly tailor solutions, taking into consideration the impact of any new policies on the population at large. That includes the…
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Will the Pandemic Panic Card Win in 2020?
“Biden is effectively promising to rescue people who ‘want to be safe.’ But there is nothing in either his record or the records of federal agencies or governors to indicate that people would be better off closeted until notified it is safe to come out. In the long run, people have more to fear from…
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The Case for Lockdown Reparations
“Although it is unclear whether existing law guarantees a pathway to lockdown reparations, the principles enshrined in the 5th Amendment as well as basic economics provide an attractive case to implement reparations. Not only would it be the moral thing to do but lockdown reparations may also lead to a productive policy framework that protects…
